Race not for the faint-hearted

Blair Smith, of Wanaka, tears down the tracks of the
Queenstown Bike Park during the Corona Dirtmasters event at
the inaugural Queenstown Bike Festival in 2011. Photo by
Camilla Stoddart.

Returning once again to the Queenstown Bike Festival
line-up is the Vertigo Bikes Dirtmasters Downhill. This thrill-
and spill-filled downhill race has become a firm favourite and
an event local competitors and visitors come to test themselves
in.

The race starts at the summit of the Queenstown Bike Park,
with the support of the Skyline Gondola. The course was
created by local downhill race-designer guru Blair Christmas.

Riders can expect a mix of flowing fun and white-knuckle
technical sections that will challenge both the casual
downhill rider and the professional alike.

The course, set to Union Cycliste Internationale standards,
was built for the experienced downhiller with features such
as speed, drops and air, organisers said.

The event has progressed over the past two years to reach an
international standard, which has helped attract all top 10
downhill world racers.